An international collaboration of institutions paved the way for Webster University professor Jorge Oliver to teach film in the Dominican Republic.

Professor Oliver reviews student work during the workshop.

Oliver, the associate professor and chair of the Electronic/Photographic Media Department in the School of Communications, traveled to the Caribbean country to deliver a master class and a workshop on experimental film.

The event, called “Cine Experimental: Arte, Pasión y Expresión” took place at the Museum of Modern Art and was sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, the U.S. Embassy, the Dirección General de Cine, the Museum of Modern Art in Santo Domingo and Webster University.

The conference provided a historical background on the development of experimental cinema to encourage understanding and appreciation of this filmic expression.

“Being able to do these kinds of trips helps spread the word about the global work we do at the University,” Oliver said. “Throughout this trip I was able to connect with the U.S. Embassy and conduct media interviews. People who had not heard of Webster now know we are a global University.”

During a master class on Friday, Feb. 8, Oliver spoke to a packed room on the origin and history of experimental cinema and explored where the genre is heading.

On Saturday, Feb. 9, he held a workshop for a select number of students to create a collaborative experimental piece. Twelve students painted on 16 mm clear film and painted or scratched the emulsion on regular film. The pieces were gathered together and then threaded and run through a projector.

A digital video camera was used to record the projected image so that they could be edited on the computer. Students were also able to record sound for the piece, and Oliver demonstrated how the image and sound could be manipulated digitally.